Long Gone: A Detective Annalisa Vega Novel

By Joanna Schaffhausen

Long Gone, the next installment of Joanna Schaffhausen's critically acclaimed Detective Annalisa Vega series.

Chicago detective Annalisa Vega shattered her life, personally and professionally, when she turned in her ex-cop father for his role in a murder. Her family can’t forgive her. Her fellow officers no longer trust her. So when detective Leo Hammond turns up dead in a bizarre murder, Annalisa thinks she has nothing to lose by investigating whatever secrets he hid behind the thin blue line.

Annalisa quickly zeroes in on someone who had good reason to want Hammond dead: a wealthy, fast-talking car salesman who’d gotten away with murder once and wasn’t about to let Hammond take a second shot. Moe Bocks remains the number one suspect in his girlfriend’s brutal unsolved death, and now he’s got a new woman in his sights—Annalisa’s best friend.

Annalisa is desperate to protect her friend and force Bocks to pay, either for Hammond’s death or his earlier crime. But when no one else believes the connection, she takes increasingly risky chances to reveal the truth. Because both Hammond and Bocks had secrets to die for, and if she doesn’t untangle them soon, Annalisa will be next.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Aug 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250264640

Joanna Schaffhausen

Joanna Schaffhausen is a scientific editor who previously worked as an editorial producer for ABC News, where she advised and wrote for programs such as World News Tonight, Good Morning America and 20/20. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter. The Vanishing Season was her first novel.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

When the other two didn’t come back for more than ten minutes, he went to look for them. Grown men sometimes broke down and cried for their mommies in the box, and Sandra had priors. She had kids. Paulie felt sure she’d crack easy. But Leo knew her best and he wasn’t so sure. His feet dragged, his heart pounding out sweat from every pore because he knew whatever he found down there, it would be bad. These were the last few moments he could make a different choice. He could pretend not to know. The fluorescent lights in the downstairs hallway gave the dark waxy floor an eerie shine. His eyes zeroed in on the restroom, tunnel vision making him stumble around the mop and rolling bucket, past the CLOSED FOR CLEANING sign. He pushed open the wooden swinging door. He saw his palm hit the surface, worn smooth with age, and his mind whispered fingerprints. Too late now.

Tom was at the sink, frantically scrubbing his hands under the running water. Paulie wasn’t visible except for his boots at the base of the stall.

What happened? Where is she?

Tom just kept washing and muttering to himself. The door to the handicapped stall swung open and Paulie emerged, wiping his nose on his sleeve. He had scratches on his hand. We had no choice. She wasn’t cooperating.

What did you do? He ran into the stall and found her unmoving on the floor, paper towels clogging her mouth. One shoe had come off in the struggle and her skirt was up around her waist. Flecks of blood dotted the wall and the blue tile floor. What the hell did you do? He screamed the words now, but he was screaming them at her because he couldn’t look away. Paulie shook him by the shoulders, hissing at him to be quiet.

We’ll fix it.

Fix it how? He bent down and yanked the paper towels loose from her mouth but she didn’t move. No one was supposed to get hurt.

Look, we can—

You were just going to talk to her!

She wasn’t listening. You got me? Nothing we said made a damn bit of difference. It’s about damage control now. We’ve got to put her in the back and get rid of this. Paulie produced something in his hand. A toilet plunger. There was blood on the handle.

He saw the matching red mark across her throat from where they’d choked her with it, and he swallowed back a wave of nausea. You can’t fix this. It’s over. His whole life, down the toilet. Fitting that he was crouched next to one. He could just stay here and let them find him.

It’s not over. It’s not. Paulie’s eyes were wild, feverish. Find somewhere to ditch this out back. Tom’s going to bring in the mop.

He shook his head in denial, reaching out to stroke her wavy hair. Chocolate brown with blond frosted tips. She’d done them herself, he knew. He heard the door open, and someone, presumably Tom, wheel in the mop and bucket. I’m so sorry, he whispered down to her.

Paulie shook like he had bugs crawling on him. Come on, man. Think of your kids.

She made a sudden wheezing noise that sounded like a death rattle. It startled him back against the metal door. She’s alive. He looked to Paulie. We’ve got to get help.

Yeah, we will. Just—just get out of here, okay? You can’t be anywhere near here right now. Take that thing and go.

An ambulance, he said, rising to his feet. We can call 911.

Yeah, yeah. Paulie propelled him toward the door. Right after we get this squared away. We’ll fix it like I promised. Golden tickets all around.

He let Paulie shove him back into the hallway, dazed and clutching the toilet plunger. He stared at it in his hands. It had her DNA on it. Now his too. Had Paulie been wearing gloves? Had Tom? He couldn’t remember. Maybe the girl wouldn’t either. Trauma did that to a person, he knew. He’d talked to enough fucked-up people to know that sometimes the damage was bad enough that they stayed fucked, no matter what you tried to do to help them. He glanced back at the door, where he could hear the sounds of them moving around in the room, tidying it up and making it clean. He could take the plunger out front and tell what they did or he could head for the rear exit and the dumpsters in the alley. Trash pickup was tomorrow morning—no, it was today, he realized. It was past one now. Seven hours, give or take, and maybe they would be home free.

A shadow appeared at the end of the hall. Someone was coming his way. He gulped, closed his eyes, and turned for the back exit.

CHAPTER ONE

Icy slush seeped into Annalisa Vega’s left boot as she stood over a disappearing crime scene. The snow had picked up intensity, filling in the mugger’s footprints by the trees and diluting the victim’s bloodstains on the pavement. Annalisa’s boots were five years old, the soles worn and separated, but she gave all her extra money to Sassy now, and replacing them never seemed like a priority until she was standing outside in the Chicago deep freeze. Their female mugging victim had been hauled away unconscious in an ambulance, and forensics was busy at another scene. At four-thirty in the afternoon, their perpetrator was already receding into the shadows. Looks like he waited for her behind those trees over there, she said to her partner, Nick Carelli. She had a winter hat and scarf on, probably never even saw him before he grabbed her.

Nick’s phone flashed as he snapped a few more photos. A crime of opportunity, he concurred. He attacked the first vulnerable person to walk by. He craned his neck back to peer up at the nearby apartment building. The top floors over there facing the park have a pretty good view. Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone saw something.

Sure, maybe. Residents in this area had long ago learned to keep their eyes to themselves. She eyed the hulking brick building with dread at the idea of climbing all those floors for nothing. What are the odds it has a working elevator?

Aw, come on, Vega. Nick gave her one of his easy grins. I know you like working up a sweat with me.

You’re not allowed to say that stuff anymore, she told him as she started walking toward the building.

Since when? He fell into step beside her.

Since the ink dried on the divorce papers fourteen years ago. Didn’t you complete the department’s sexual harassment training?

Yeah, but turns out there’s a loophole.

She stopped walking to look at him. What loophole?

If the two parties have seen each other naked in the past six weeks, then it’s flirting, not harassment.

She winced inwardly. New Year’s Eve, four weeks ago. A champagne headache that felt like it was still wearing off. One night in fourteen years does not change the rules, she told him.

That’s why I’m angling for another. Speaking of, what are you doing later?

Having dinner with Sassy and the girls. Assuming we’re not still canvassing this building by then. Sassy would probably rather she canceled. Just sent the money. Not have to host Annalisa at her dinner table and pretend everything was normal.

Okay, what about tomorrow night? They reached the building’s entrance and Nick’s cell phone rang. He held up a finger to her as he went to answer it. Hold that thought. Yeah, Carelli here.

Annalisa waited at the door while he finished the call. Well? she said at the brightening in his eyes.

The victim regained consciousness en route to the hospital. Her name is Estelle Roberts. She works at the printing shop two blocks that way and walks through the park to get to the L every afternoon after her shift.

So maybe it wasn’t random after all.

I’m going to get over there now to interview her.

She widened her eyes at him. And leave me going door-to-door through the whole building?

Hey, at least you’re out of the weather, right? And we only need to talk to witnesses on the east side. If I get anything useful from the vic, I’ll let you know. He jogged off through the falling flakes and Annalisa suppressed another epithet as she let him go. Her ex-husband was better at talking to people than she was, and she’d been counting on his charm to open doors. But the most important witness right now was the one lying in the hospital, so Annalisa had to agree with his priorities.

The building had eighteen floors and one working elevator car, which moved with the same lurching speed of a downtown bus in rush-hour traffic. Annalisa disembarked, vaguely seasick, on the top floor. No one answered her first two knocks. The third produced a groggy Black male, maybe thirty years of age, wearing pajama pants and a Major Lazer T-shirt. Sorry, I got off-shift at the hospital at noon, and I’ve been sleeping since then. He showed her a nurse’s badge for Northwestern.

The next tenant at home was an elderly white woman with thick glasses and too many cats. Annalisa glimpsed at least four of them, including a tabby that zipped out the door into the hall. She tracked the feline down and handed her back to the owner. Annalisa tried four more doors with no success, at which point she took the stairs down one flight to do the units on the seventeenth floor that faced the park. The first door, she heard loud music playing on the other side, but no one answered her knock. She banged harder and eventually a white male cracked the door open. She smelled pizza and pot emanating from the other side. Yeah? he asked.

She displayed her ID. I’m Detective Vega, and I’m investigating a mugging that took place about ninety minutes ago in the park outside. Were you home at that time?

I been here all afternoon.

Did you see anything?

No.

Annalisa repressed a sigh as she dug out another one of her cards. Okay, if you think of anything or see anyone suspicious hanging around, call me at that number. He stuck out a hand for the card and she saw he had an intricate tattoo across his hand. Nice ink, she remarked, holding the card back.

Thanks. It’s a Komodo dragon.

Her phone rang. Nick. Excuse me one moment. She turned away to take the call. Yeah, what’ve you got?

Victim says it went down like we thought. He was hiding behind the pine tree and grabbed her when she walked by. He hit her with a rock and took her bag with everything in it.

Can she ID him?

He’s a white guy. Pretty big by her account. She says he was wearing a hat pulled down pretty far over his face, so an ID might be difficult. But she does remember he had a lizard tattoo on his hand.

Shit. She turned around to see if the guy had closed the door on her, but he stood there, filling most of the frame, waiting obediently for her card. I’ll call you back, she said to Nick, her gaze on the tattoo on the man’s hand. Sorry about that, she said, forcing a smile, keeping her tone neutral as she stepped toward him. You were saying how you’ve been home all afternoon, Mr.…?

He bolted. Shoved her hard into the wall and ran like hell for the stairs. She cursed and grabbed her radio even as she started in pursuit. This is Vega, she said as she pounded down the stairs. She could hear him racing ahead of her, several floors below. I’m in foot pursuit of a suspect in a robbery/assault case, and I need backup at West Granville and North Leavitt. Suspect is a male white, approximately thirty years old, two hundred and fifty pounds, with a Komodo dragon tattoo on his right hand. Dressed in jeans and a black sweatshirt.

He blasted through the emergency exit into the alley with her just seconds behind. Heading south on Leavitt, she said into her radio as she ran after him. The street had slow-moving pedestrians bundled up against the snow. He grabbed a young woman and threw her backward in Annalisa’s direction. The woman screamed as she went down, ass first, in the slush at Annalisa’s feet. Annalisa paused to give her a hand up. Are you all right? You’re all right.

The suspect had crossed the street but he was still visible through the snow in the distance. Annalisa took up pursuit again and updated the chase coordinates on her radio. Where the hell was backup? The man turned right into another alley and disappeared from view. Breathing hard, Annalisa rounded the corner to follow him. He hit her with a trash can, sending her careening into a brick wall. Her radio hit the pavement and shattered. Stop! she hollered at the guy as she clambered to her feet. You’re under arrest.

He vanished out the other end of the alley. Annalisa followed, ignoring the pain in her flank from where she’d hit the wall. Her feet hit the ground in rhythmic slaps. The cold air burned in her lungs as she ran in the direction she thought he had turned. Yes. There he was. He was bent over one block ahead, winded, and the sight made a laugh escape her. All those years running track in school finally paid off. He looked up and saw her coming, his expression one of disbelief. He took off again but tripped on the slippery curb. She grabbed him as he scrambled to get out of the oncoming traffic.

I said, she repeated, panting hard, you’re under arrest. The snow melted over her hot neck, sliding down her collar in an icy trickle. The man put up only a token resistance as she applied the handcuffs.

A squad car flashed its lights and pulled to a stop alongside her. The window powered down and the passenger, a lifer beat cop named Harry Finneman, sipped from a paper cup as he looked on with mild interest. Your pants are wet, he observed to Annalisa.

Where the hell were you guys? Getting coffee?

Hey, we got here as soon as we could.

Sure, you did. Ever since she’d turned in her ex-cop father last year, the boys in blue seemed slow to answer her calls. I was bird-dogging this guy for ten straight minutes, and he almost got away. You should’ve been here backing me up.

Harry raised bushy eyebrows at her. What are you going to do, report us?

She bit back a tart reply. Can you at least take him downtown for booking?

Sure thing, Detective Vega, ma’am. Harry looked to his younger partner at the wheel. Stephens, it’s all you.

Stephens took custody and Annalisa half limped her way back to her car, where she used the leftover napkins from her sandwich at lunch to mop up her wet face. Nick met her at the station, where the stale heat made the whole place smell like feet and dried wool. Are you all right? he asked with a frown as he rolled his desk chair over to hers.

She flopped down into her seat. I worked up that sweat you were so concerned about. My cardio is complete for the whole week.

A uniformed officer dropped off paperwork at Annalisa’s desk. Here’s the booking report from downstairs, she said.

Great, thanks. Annalisa looked it over. Suspect’s name is Greg Martinez. She scanned down for additional details and stopped when she noticed the cop’s name filled in at the bottom. Arresting officer: Harry Finneman. That sonofabitch, she murmured.

Problem? Nick looked up from where he’d rolled back to his own territory.

Clerical error, she announced as she stood up. Nothing some Wite-Out won’t fix. She wished she could Wite-Out the whole last year and a half. Or at least dump a bucket of it over Finneman’s head.

About that dinner, Nick said as he rolled to block her path. I’m buying.

She rolled her eyes. I told you I can’t.

So, we make it another night, he said, his face open and full of hope. Name the time.

She hesitated. She’d blown up her whole life last year and Nick was the only one left standing in the ashes. I’m sorry, she said, not without real regret. I just can’t.

CHAPTER TWO

Am I imagining things, or does this snowman have fangs? Annalisa held her wineglass in one hand as she squinted at the child’s art tacked up on Sassy’s refrigerator. The garish snowman had a misshapen oval head and tiny triangle teeth. Cotton balls had been glued on to form the body.

Oh yes. If you look closely, she also drew staples on his neck. Mrs. Davis wouldn’t let her use the actual stapler. Sassy had her own wineglass, deep into a second pouring of the discount pinot noir Annalisa had brought with her to dinner. Folklore said in vino veritas, but Annalisa was finding the opposite, that the rituals of serving and consuming the alcohol gave them something to do in place of real conversation. The trick was getting out of Sassy’s place before the third glass.

Carla made this?

Not only did she make it, Carla told the class it’s a vampire snowman that goes out at night to consume the carrot noses of the other snowpeople, Sassy said, leaning against the fridge with a sigh. Her teacher gave her points for imagination but also called to ask me if Carla should be in therapy.

Should she be? Of course she should. Carla was six years old and her father was in prison for murder. Annalisa knew this because she had put him there.

Sassy set down her wineglass and began clearing away the dinner dishes. They joined a pile waiting in the sink. Putting a first grader on the couch? No, thanks. If anyone’s going crazy around here, it’s me. The new budget at the library is ten percent smaller than last year and my boss said he can’t keep justifying my extra shifts at the expense of keeping other people on full-time. Carla’s overdue to see the dentist and Gigi needs new shoes. Meanwhile, the place is a wreck.

Annalisa’s gaze slid past the dirty dishes to the avalanche of mail, broken crayons, and unopened plastic snack containers, half full of cheesy crackers, that covered the countertop. It’s not that bad.

Sassy gave a dark laugh as she started the faucet. I give Gigi one cookie and she somehow manages to leave fingerprints over the entire house—all of them tiny and two feet off the ground.

If you want, I could give you the name of the cleaning service that does my condo. Better yet, let me schedule them—

No! The word came out as a desperate yelp. Sassy squeezed her eyes shut and raised her palms. No, she repeated more softly. You’ve done enough.

Annalisa had brought groceries with her to dinner and a check to help cover the mortgage; it didn’t feel like nearly enough. I love the girls. I love you. I want to help.

You know what you can do to help.

Annalisa turned away. She knew what her friend wanted from her, but she couldn’t make herself say yes. I can help with the dishes, she said with forced cheer. I’ll wash, you dry. It’ll be like the old days when you and me lived in that apartment on Central. The one over the tire store? The whole place reeked like rubber.

Anna. Sassy’s voice was soft as she took up a dishrag to dry.

Annalisa focused on scraping dried oatmeal off the side of a bowl. She shook her head, the barest of gestures. I can’t, she said tightly. I’ve thought about it and I just can’t.

He’s your brother.

Annalisa dropped the bowl in the sink with a loud clatter. Yes, and he’s also a convicted murderer.

I know. I was there, remember? I sat behind him the whole trial. I saw the pictures. I heard— Sassy broke off with a choked sound and paused to steady herself. —what he did. But it was a long time ago and he was practically a kid at the time. He made a mistake, Anna. A bad one. Huge. But it was one night out of his whole life. Haven’t you ever screwed up? Done something you wanted to take back but you couldn’t?

Not murder. Annalisa started furiously scrubbing a dinner plate.

You know him, cajoled Sassy, moving closer. You love him. I know you do.

So did you, and yet you divorced him.

I had no choice! Financially, legally, we had to be separate.

Yeah? Ma had to put up her house. The home Annalisa loved was still standing, but it was a prison now. For his role in the cover-up, Pops spent his days inside with an ankle monitor, despite being wheelchair-bound from Parkinson’s disease. Like he could flee even if he wanted.

Remember … remember when we were kids and Alex helped us build a tree house? Or at the beach, when he used his paper route money to buy us hot dogs and pop? And the talent shows we put on. He was so funny with all the different voices he could do. I knew even then he’d be a great dad. Carla would be screaming with laughter at bedtime. ‘Do Papa Bear in the bathroom again, Daddy! This toilet is too big!’

Stop it. Just stop. Annalisa wouldn’t look at her. None of that matters right now.

Of course it matters! Sassy slammed a plate down on the counter, making Annalisa jump. He’s their father, Anna! That’s never going to change no matter what. He’s part of them, a good part … there’s good in him, I know it because I see it in their faces and I don’t want them thinking they’re bad because he was … and, oh God. She broke off with a sob, covering her face, and Annalisa moved immediately to embrace her.

Annalisa shushed her, cradling the back of her friend’s head with a wet, soapy hand. The girls are amazing. They are fierce and funny and good to their mama.

Sassy sniffed hard into her shoulder. So was Alex, she said in a small voice as she pulled away. She wiped her eyes with shaking fingers. The sight of her spiky lashes and the utter despair on her face tore at Annalisa’s heart. I know why you had to turn him in, Sassy murmured. I—I forgive you for that.

Annalisa stiffened. I had no choice.

Sassy’s face closed off. It doesn’t matter. It’s done. He’s guilty. But if you spoke at the sentencing, if you asked for leniency, they would listen to you. The courts care what cops think. Our lawyer says it could make the difference between a sentence of ten years or life in prison. Ten years, maybe less with good behavior. Think about that. Think what it would mean for Gigi and Carla. They’d get a chance to have a father again.

Annalisa leaned both hands on the counter, bracing herself. The weight of this case had been with her since her own childhood and it had yet to go away. Some days she felt like it would push her clear into the ground. Alex took away someone’s mother, she said finally, looking sideways at Sassy. He strangled her to death. Do you know how long that takes? Minutes. It wasn’t a mistake, Sass. Alex had to want it.

He was drunk, a kid. He was angry. He doesn’t even remember doing it.

He remembers. She would never forget the stricken look on his face when he realized she’d uncovered his secret.

Look, let’s not talk about it anymore tonight, Sassy replied, sounding defeated. Just think about it, okay? If you won’t do it for him, do it for me. Do it for Gigi and Carla … and for your parents too. Maybe Alex gets out before they die … maybe he doesn’t.

Annalisa looked away at the mention of her parents. It’s not my decision. It can’t be.

It can be if you want it to. Sassy rubbed the side of her head and checked the clock on the kitchen wall. Listen, thanks for dinner and your help with the dishes. I’ve got it from here.

Kicking me out, are you? Annalisa kept her tone light, but it was hard to hide the note of hurt. Sassy had been her best friend for so long and now this connection, too, threatened to snap under the weight of Alex’s crime. She swallowed and tried to choose her words carefully because Sassy held the real power cards. If she wanted, Sassy could take Alex’s kids away and the Vega family could do nothing to stop her. I should get going, she agreed, even though it was still early. I’ll—I’ll call you next week, Annalisa said. Maybe we can have dinner Saturday. Take the kids somewhere fun.

Sassy gave a halfhearted wave from the sink but didn’t look back at her. Sure, whatever you want.

Annalisa departed into the frigid night air. She sat in the dark in her car across from Sassy’s place, something she did a lot of these days when she couldn’t bring herself to go home. The confined space felt under her control while the wheels tempted her with escape. You could turn the engine and go, whispered the voice in her head. But go where? Annalisa had lived her whole life inside the boundaries of Chicago. Lately, the roots that grounded her had started to curl up and poke through the cement sidewalks. She knew what other cops whispered when she wasn’t around to hear. There goes Vega. She turned in her own family. Imagine what she’d do to you …

She sighed and started the car, preparing to leave, when she saw a black Lexus SUV pull to a stop across the street, right outside Sassy’s home. The porch light was still on, Annalisa realized with some surprise. Sassy hadn’t turned it off after Anna’s exit.

Annalisa watched as a man in a dark coat got out of the SUV. Her detective’s brain classified him immediately: male, white, maybe forty years old. He had a large bouquet of flowers in his hand, which he took to Sassy’s doorstep. Sassy opened right away and welcomed him inside with a smile. Anna checked the clock on her dash, which read 9:12. Odd time for a date. Sassy hadn’t mentioned anything about seeing someone.

Annalisa shifted in her seat, as though her discomfort were physical and not mental. She should leave. Sassy didn’t owe her details about her love life. She didn’t ask her opinion. Annalisa stared at the house until she saw the porch light go out. Whoever this guy was, he was staying awhile. Annalisa took a deep breath and released the brake. Out of habit, she memorized the Lexus’s license plate number as she drove away. Her eyes checked the rearview mirror again. She wondered: What kind of guy drives an expensive car, springs for fancy flowers, and yet picks a prison widow with two small kids for a booty call on Friday night?

Instead of heading straight home, Annalisa drove by her parents’ place, which wasn’t far from Sassy’s. Alex had settled closest out of all four Vega kids. Her oldest brother, Vinnie, had left Chicago completely, opting for Naperville, where he had a family. Tony and his wife lived in a chichi high-rise over in Lakeview. Alex had remained in Norwood Park where they grew up, north and west of downtown, in their own little world that called to mind an idyllic suburb rather than the concrete jungle. The streets there were tree lined and bore names like Myrtle and Rosedale, Oriole and Hyacinth. Annalisa glided to a stop outside her old homestead. It was dark inside except for the blue light that flickered in the window of the den. Pops would be in there, probably watching the Blackhawks game. Ma used to sit with him on the sofa, doing her knitting. Now she slept alone in the bedroom upstairs.

How much did you know? Annalisa had finally asked her mother during the trial. Only Alex went the distance in court. Pops had copped a plea.

None of it, her mother had replied after the barest pause. She had looked out the window as she said it, as though the answers might be out in the street somewhere. Or maybe she had been unable to look her only daughter in the face and lie to her.

Annalisa took out her phone and checked Colin Duffy’s photo stream. He hadn’t spoken to her since the trial, when her brother was found guilty of murdering Colin’s mother. What else was there to say beyond that? Colin’s latest snapshot showed an expanse of aquamarine water and pink sandy shoreline tagged as Horseshoe Bay Beach, Bermuda. Geographically, Colin was closer than he’d been all year, but the picture felt a million miles away. Annalisa’s finger hovered over the heart-shaped icon a fraction of a second before clicking it. It turned red and she flushed like a teenager at the sight. Sometimes it seemed like this had been their relationship forever: her sending him hearts that were never returned.

Her parents’ porch light came on and the door opened. She saw her mother’s shape a moment before she heard the call. Anna? Annalisa gunned the engine and sped off down the street. She did not go to her condo in Avondale and instead drove to Nick’s apartment in Wicker Park. He answered right away.

Hey, he said, looking pleased to see her. Change your mind?

Turns out Sassy had a date.

A date? Who’s the lucky guy?

I don’t know, she said as she followed him up the steps. She didn’t exactly introduce me.

He paused to grin back at her. Oh, that kind of date.

Yes. Your favorite kind, she answered with a roll of her eyes. Speaking of, I’m not interrupting…?

You? Never. He let her inside the apartment. She saw the dent in the leather couch where he had been sitting, alone, in front of a large-screen TV that was playing The Godfather, currently paused on Marlon Brando’s face. Nick had an open bottle of Goose Island IPA in one hand. Following her gaze, he said, "I can open the wine if you

Reviews for Long Gone

[celticlibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Complicated police procedural and crime thriller featuring Chicago detective Annalisa Vega in the followup to GONE FOR GOOD.Even more messed up than her personal life, Annalisa's job is also fraught with problems. Nobody on the force likes or trusts her since she turned in her own father, an ex-cop. Now she runs the risk of alienating everyone even further when she's assigned to investigate the murder of a another Chicago detective, Leo Hammond. Apparently Leo Hammond wasn't the great cop that everyone thought he was -- nor were his best buddies. In addition, Annalisa is looking into a cold case that might also be linked to some malfeasance on Hammond's watch. As always, she goes looking for trouble and it always gets found.This is a convoluted set of cases where there are multiple suspects with lots of secrets and lies that have gone unexposed for years. The truth is eventually revealed after Annalisa attacks both situations with her usual dogged enthusiasm. The words of her current boss describe Annalisa's character: "...blatant insubordination, legal violations, questionable judgments, and dangerous pursuits." Instead of admiration, Annalisa mostly elicited annoyance. It just seems such a trope that she constantly goes off on her own and puts herself and others in peril. Regardless, the complex investigation yields results and Annalisa doesn't get fired. Although I did not like this as much as I'd hoped, it provided a couple of hours of entertainment. I am not sure if I will read further installments in this series.Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

[life2reinvent · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Annalisa Vega is back in Long Gone! For those of us Gone For Good fans wondering how Chicago Police Detective Vega would put her life back together, your answers are provided in this excellent sequel.For those of you who haven’t met Annalisa yet, STOP. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Long Gone is not the book you’re looking for…yet. Long Gone is not a standalone novel. You must read Gone For Good first to understand the relationships and conflicts between the characters based on the events of the first book. Would you walk into a theater halfway through a movie and be able to enjoy the rest of that movie? Nope. Don’t cheat yourself of the pleasure of reading the whole story. Once you’ve read Gone For Good, you’ll be ready and eager to grab Long Gone.Wow, Annalisa was shattered by the end of Gone For Good and is struggling in a new reality where her relationships with family, friends, and coworkers are strained after her actions after solving the Lovelorn Killer case. Partner/ex-husband Nick Carelli seems to be the only one on her side, but even their professional and personal relationships are heading for the crossroads. Vega and Carelli are assigned to track down a cop killer. Some resentful cops see a chance for revenge for Annalisa’s actions in the Lovelorn Killer case and try to frame her for the crimes she is investigating. As more bodies pile up, it gets harder for Annalisa to solve the case and escape being framed for murder. She’ll leave collateral damage in her wake - lives are ruined, some are lost - and considers it a necessary part of solving her case.Annalisa’s struggling through deeply strained personal relationships. While she claims she wants to rebuild, she plays the victim instead of recognizing others’ pain. She’s hurt but fails to acknowledge that other people hurt too. More than one person asks her to just visit certain family members, but she chooses to wallow in her own pain instead. Then she learns that other strained relationships are mending, and she laments that she’s left out. The only way her relationships will mend is if she makes an effort to rebuild the relationship. Even then, she still expects others to give up their plans and choose hers instead.I like a flawed heroine, and Annalisa Vega definitely fits that bill. Schaffhausen does an excellent job of showing the motivations behind each of the characters, even though Annalisa remains self-absorbed. I felt frustrated that Annalisa could not see where she was the impediment to repairing relationships. I groaned every time Annalisa told her fellow officers what she was going to do then quickly changed her mind when the mood struck her. It is a delicate balance to make situations clear to the reader when the character remains oblivious, and Schaffhausen expertly walks that fine line. Annalisa makes a number of mistakes, but I was always on her side, hoping she’d figure things out and repair her reputation and her relationships.Long Gone is an excellent combination of a twisty mystery with deeply developed characters. Thriller fans will enjoy the book…but only if they’ve read Gone For Good first. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing a review copy of the book.